Berkmeyer tops Coleman leaderboard after Day 1 at Seminole

Only one player broke 70 Thursday in the George L. Coleman opener. Skip Berkmeyer, a Missouri golf legend, used a 3-under 69 at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Fla., to take a slim lead on a stacked leaderboard. Berkmeyer leads Matt Parziale and Andres Schonbaum by one shot.

This is familiar territory for Berkmeyer, considering he also led after the first round of the Crump Cup, another prestigious mid-amateur event, but one that ends in match play. The 45-year-old also garnered some attention last August, when he was one of four mid-amateurs to make match play at the U.S. Amateur. He lost in the Round of 64.

Behind Berkmeyer, both Parziale, the 2017 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion, and Andres Schonbaum, an Argentine Amateur semifinalist, had rounds of 2-under 70. Schonbaum embodies a new priority at this year’s Coleman: to extend its reach to the best mid-amateurs and seniors not just nationwide, but worldwide. Schonbaum also played the U.S. Mid-Amateur last fall, advancing to the quarterfinals there.

A four-man tie for fourth at 1-under 71 includes Matthew Swan, Matt Broome, T.J. Shuart and Scott Harvey, the 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion.

In the senior division, past champions Gene Elliott (’07 and ’09) and Vinny Giles (02' & 07') posting opening rounds of 70 to take a one-shot lead over Jeff Knox and Steve Harwell. Knox, of course, is fresh off his usual turn as the Augusta National marker at the Masters two weeks ago.